Goldstar shoes

Goldstar shoes (Nepali:गोल्ड स्टार जुत्ता) is a brand of shoe produced in Nepal.[1] The shoe is popularly tied with the Maoist insurgency in Nepal that continued for a decade. During the civil war, anyone seen wearing a pair of Goldstar shoes was enough to wind up in prison accused of being part of the rebel force due to its easy availability and cheapness.[2] During the war, the army opted to starve the rebels by imposing a blockade that deprived Maoist strongholds of both food and footwear- the Goldstar shoes.[3] [4][5]

The Goldstar brand was initiated by Noor Pratap Rana in mid 1970s as a family business.[6] It is manufactured by Kiran Shoe Manufacturers [7] which produce about 25000 shoes per day.[8] The brand has been marketed in India, Australia and Malaysia, among other countries.[9][10][11] Due to the popularity of the shoes, many fake shoes are also produced locally with the same name.[12] The shoes have various showrooms in all major city and towns of Nepal.[13][14]